EDUCATIONAL  MONOGRAPHS 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE 


3t/.  f 

n  3 


New  York  College  for  the  Training  of  Teachers 


NICHOLAS  MURRAY  BUTLER,  EDITOR 


VoL.  III.  No.  1. 


Entered  at  the  Post  Office  at  New  York 
City  as  second  class  matter. 


Whole  No.  13. 


Manual  Training 

IN  THE 

Public  Schools 


BY 


CHARLES  R.  RICHARDS 


Director  of  Mechanic  Arts  Dep’t,  Pratt  Institute,  Brooklyn, 


AND 

HENRY  P.  O’NEIL 

Principal  of  Grammar  School  No.  1,  New  York  City. 


JANUARY,  1890 


New  York:  9  University  Place 
London:  Thomas  Laurie,  28  Paternoster  Row 


Issued  Bi-Monthly] 


($1.00  Per  Annum 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


The  two  papers  which  follow  were  prepared  for  the 
New  York  Conference  of  Educational  Workers  and  read 
at  a  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Conference  held  on  October 
24,  1889.  They  are  now  printed  in  the  Educational 
MONOGRAPHS  Series  by  authority  and  direction  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Conference. 


Copyright,  1889, 

New  York  College  for  the  Training  of  Teachers. 


Entered  at  Stationers’  Hall. 


What  Manual  Training  Should  be  Intro¬ 
duced  into  the  Public  Schools. 


In  attempting  this  paper  the  writer  has  been  constantly 
aware  of  the  difficulty  of  his  task.  To  lay  out  a  scheme 
of  manual  work  which  will  fit  into  the  present  conditions 
of  our  school  system  ;  one  which  will  in  each  stage  be 
perfectly  adapted  to  the  development  of  the  pupil  and 
which  will,  as  a  whole,  be  comprehensive  and  harmonious, 
is  not  yet  possible.  No  one  can  elaborate  such  a  scheme 
to-day  ;  it  will  only  be  after  years  of  experiment  that  the 
possibilities  of  these  new  methods  will  be  developed  and 
the  different  elements  fitted  and  smoothed  into  place. 
It  is  difficult,  in  fact  impossible,  for  one  person  to  speak 
with  authority  on  the  exact  relations  of  the  various  means 
which  have  been  employed,  for  while  well-adapted  courses 
have  been  developed  in  many  of  the  school  grades,  in  no 
single  instance  have  all  these  most  approved  and  most 
thoroughly  tested  methods  been  united  into  a  complete 
system.  Nor  has  it  been  possible  for  any  single  person  to 
come  in  actual  working  contact  with  all  of  these  methods, 
and  it  is  only  from  those  in  such  close  contact,  from  the 
workers,  that  a  natural  and  harmonious  system  of  manual 
training  can  come.  This  paper,  consequently,  is  offered 
more  in  the  hope  that  it  may  serve  as  a  basis  of  discus¬ 
sion,  leading  to  the  improvement  of  its  suggestions,  than 
for  the  ultimate  good  it  may  contain.  Although  the  full 
benefit  of  manual  training  is  only  realized  when  its  spirit 


4  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools . 

enters  into  all  the  exercises  of  the  school-room  and  finds 
expression  in  them  all,  this  paper  will  not  attempt  to  deal 
with  the  new  methods  introduced  into  the  study  of  lan¬ 
guage,  number  and  geography,  but  will  confine  itself  to 
the  more  special  occupations  of  hand-work. 

Taking  a  view  of  the  entire  system  of  what  may  be 
called  popular  education,  from  the  kindergarten  through 
the  high  school,  we  find  in  the  two  extremes  of  the  scale 
the  problem  of  manual  training  to  a  great  extent  solved, 
with  methods  fairly  defined  and  tested  by  years  of  prac¬ 
tice  ;  but  in  the  middle  period,  that  of  the  primary  and 
grammer  schools,  we  are  compelled  to  admit  that  the 
problem  is  still  in  the  experimental  stage.  But  assuredly, 
if  the  new  methods  are  to  affect  broadly  the  educational 
work  of  the  country  it  is  here  that  they  must  be  developed 
and  perfected.  It  is  undeniable  that  much  of  the  present 
vagueness  of  system  and  lack  of  uniformity  in  the  work 
attempted  in  the  primary  and  grammar  grades  comes  from 
the  fact  that  the  problem  of  this  work  was  attempted  after 
the  kindergarten  and  manual  training  methods  had  be¬ 
come  prominent.  There  has  been  from  the  first  a  ten¬ 
dency  to  draw  methods  up  from  below  and  down  from 
above,  rather  than  to  meet  the  needs  of  each  stage  from 
a  study  of  its  own  conditions.  The  exercises  of  the  kin¬ 
dergarten  have  been  used  in  the  primary  grades  and  the 
work  of  the  manual  training  school  attempted  in  the  upper 
classes  of  the  grammar  school.  This  violation  of  the  first 
principle  of  pedagogy,  adaptation  of  method  to  the  intel¬ 
lectual  calibre  of  the  pupil,  has  doubtless  hindered  the 
development  of  hand-work  courses  suited  to  the  primary 
and  grammar  grades. 

Leaving  aside  then  the  work  of  the  kindergarten,  which 
has  had  the  advantage  of  so  many  years  of  study  and  the 
labor  of  so  many  workers,  we  may  consider  the  first  year 
of  the  primary  grades.  Here  the  work  must  be  of  the 
simplest  character.  There  can  be  very  little  application  of 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  5 

thought  on  the  part  of  the  pupil,  for  as  yet  there  is  very 
little  thought-power  developed  in  him.  The  first  stages 
must  deal  with  observation  ;  expression  must  come  later. 
The  elementary  ideas  of  form  should  be  gained  by  actual 
experience  and  study  of  objects,  after  which  the  simplest 
means  of  expression  may  be  cultivated.  First  of  all,  then, 
the  simplest  type  forms  (sphere,  cube  and  cylinder)  are 
to  be  studied,  and  for  this  purpose  solids,  wholes  not 
parts,  should  be  used :  They  are  to  be  studied  not  by 
^  sight  alone,  but  by  touch,  by  handling,  and  their  nature 
brought  out  by  questions  and  experiment  until  a  true 
idea  of  the  elementary  properties  of  the  forms  is  gained. 
From  this  as  a  basis  the  exercises  may  lead  to  the  sim¬ 
plest  forms  of  expression  ;  first,  of  the  idea  of  the  whole, 
for  that  is  the  simplest.  For  this  purpose  clay,  wax  or 
putty  may  be  used,  but  experience  seems  to  point  to  clay 
as  best  suited  to  class  room  work.  In  this  material,  by 
working  with  the  fingers  and  hands,  the  solids  can  be  imi¬ 
tated  and  the  impressions  already  gained,  sharpened  and 
corrected.  Later,  slips  of  paper  cut  into  squares  and  other 
forms  may  be  compared  with  the  faces  of  the  objects. 
These  slips  when  folded  symmetrically  produce  other 
forms,  like  faces  of  other  solids  and  by  this  means  an  un¬ 
conscious  analysis  of  the  form  is  made  and  a  further  idea 
gained  of  its  properties.  This  folding  across  center  lines 
may  be  carried  much  farther,  and  scissor-  or  knife-cuts 
made  along  the  creases  and  the  resulting  pieces  studied 
and  arranged  about  centres  as  simple  designs.  Still  hand¬ 
ling  the  models  the  attention  may  be  carried  to  the  edges 
and  after  running  the  fingers  over  these  and  imitating 
the  outlines  in  the  air  the  first  attempts  at  drawing  may 
be  made.  It  will  be  expression  of  the  simplest  kind,  a 
record,  as  far  as  the  child  is  able  to  make  it,  of  the  image 
formed  in  its  own  mind  by  the  handling  and  study  of  the 
models  and  the  endeavor  should  be  to  make  this  expres¬ 
sion  as  free  and  genuine  as  possible. 


6 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 


In  this  first  primary  year,  then,  there  has  been  an  at¬ 
tempt  to  develop  in  the  child’s  mind  the  elementary  ideas 
of  form  by  handling  and  experiment,  and  then  to  deepen 
and  sharpen  those  impressions  by  reproducing  the  ideas 
in  clay,  paper  and  lines. 


This  plate  represents  the  character  of  the  first  year  paper  work. 
The  pieces  in  the  left  hand  upper  corner  showing  forms  in  which  paper 
is  given,  following  which  are  simple  folds  and  forms  resulting  from 
cuts  along  the  folds. 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  J 

The  study  and  handling  of  the  models  should  continue 
in  the  second  primary  year.  Here  a  few  other  forms 
(cone,  square  pyramid,  triangular  prism,  etc.)  may  be 
introduced  and  their  making  in  clay  carried  out  in  the 
manner  of  the  first  year.  Besides  these  type  forms,  exam¬ 
ples  of  them  in  familiar  objects,  may  be  compared  and 
made.  In  the  paper  work  of  this  grade  the  practice  in 
drawing  may  be  made  use  of;  lines  on  the  squares  of 
paper  may  take  the  place  of  folds.  These  lines  at  first 
'would  be  much  like  the  folds,  following  the  diameters  and 
diagonals ;  but  afterwards,  by  the  use  of  simple  curves 
and  freer  lines,  there  would  be  secured  at  once  a  greater 
range  of  expression  and  an  opportunity  to  carry  the  sim¬ 
ple  design  arrangements  much  further.  These  design 
arrangements  after  being  made  from  the  paper  folds  and 
cuttings,  may  be  drawn  on  manila  paper.  Besides  the 
line  work  just  spoken  of,  the  drawing  may  deal  with  the 
faces  and  to  some  extent  with  the  appearance  of  the 
models. 

In  the  third  primary  year  the  remaining  type  forms  may 
be  added  and  their  study  continued.  The  clay  work  may 
here  reach  beyond  the  mere  imitation  of  these  forms  to  the 
modeling  of  natural  forms  and  simple  casts.  The  paper 
work  will  be  freer  from  the  use  of  curved  lines,  and  the 
drawing,  besides  picturing  the  appearance  of  the  different 
solids  alone  and  combined,  may  take  up  the  elementary 
ideas  of  the  working  drawing  and  the  arrangement  and 
relation  of  the  different  views  of  the  simple  solids. 

The  subject  of  color  instruction  is  in  too  undeveloped  a 
state  to  attempt  to  lay  out  a  comprehensive  scheme  for  it, 
but,  as  will  be  readily  seen,  in  the  arrangement  of  paper 
forms  into  designs  an  opportunity  is  offered,  by  employing 
differently  colored  papers,  to  bring  out  the  relations  of  the 
colors  and  their  proper  values ;  but  great  care  should  be 
taken  that  the  combinations  always  express  unity  and 
harmony  and  never  display  strong  contrasts. 


8 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools . 


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Plate  II. 

In  this  plate  are  shown  specimens  of  second  and  third  primary  year 
paper  work,  the  drawing  in  each  case  accompanying  the  piece.  The 
exercises  given  are  simply  indicative  of  the  nature  of  the  work  and  do 
not  by  any  means  represent  its  scope. 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  9 

In  the  beginnings  of  the  grammar  school  work,  when 
the  pupils  have  reached  the  average  age  of  eleven  years, 
the  methods  used  may  change  somewhat  in  character. 
The  handling  of  the  solids  in  the  manner  of  the  primary 
iyears  is  left  behind,  the  usefulness  of  clay  modeling  purely 
jfor  purposes  of  geometric  form-study  is,  in  a  great  meas¬ 
ure,  outgrown  and  if  used  beyond  this  point  it  should  be 
solely  on  artistic  grounds.  Paper  folding  and  cutting  in 
the  flat  no  longer  meet  the  pupil’s  needs,  but  another  kind 
of  paper  work  may  here  begin,  the  operations  of  which  are 
of  the  utmost  value.  This  is  the  making  of  geometrical 
forms  out  of  thick  paper  or  cardboard.  Here,  too,  the 
use  of  simple  instruments  may  well  commence.  In  the 
primary  grades,  before  the  pupils’  appreciation  of  accuracy 
has  been  sufficiently  quickened  to  derive  benefit  from  their 
use,  instruments  have  not  been  employed.  There  the 
object  sought  is  rather  clearness  of  thought  and  freedom 
of  execution,  but  now  that  some  notions  of  the  different 
forms  and  their  properties  have  been  obtained,  the  occu¬ 
pations  may  seek  to  express  them  with  all  the  accuracy 
possible.  The  only  instruments  needed  at  first  will  be 
the  rule,  two  small  triangles,  and  later  a  very  simple  form 
of  pencil  compass.  Although  in  all  the  work  of  the  pre¬ 
vious  grades,  in  the  handling  of  models,  comparing  of 
faces  and  folding  of  paper,  the  pupils  have  been  studying 
the  properties  of  form,  which  is  simply  pure  geometry, 
they  now  approach  the  subject  in  its  more  exact  relations. 
And  here  it  seems  as  if  the  scope  and  power  of  these 
methods  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  The  subject  of 
geometry,  the  science  of  form,  instead  of  being  left  to  the 
higher  schools  as  a  dreaded  logical  study,  is  here  learned 
in  the  doing  and  making.  The  cold  statement  of  laws 
and  propositions  becomes  invested  with  meaning  and  life 
when  brought  into  the  actual  experience  of  the  pupil,  and 
when  their  expression  in  the  material  world  about  them 
is  made  clear.  The  elements  of  this  kind  of  work  have 


10  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

been  often  used  and  are  well  suited  to  the  needs  of  the 
first  grammar  year,  but  the  possibilities  have  certainly  not 
yet  been  reached,  and  the  writer  has  little  doubt  that  this 
occupation  could  be  carried  on  with  great  value,  not  only 
as  dictation  work,  but  in  the  form  of  problems,  throughout 
all  the  grammar  grades.  The  exercises  can  be  carried  to 
almost  any  extent.  After  making  the  type  forms  singly, 
their  combinations  may  be  studied  ;  as,  for  example,  after 
a  simple  cylinder  the  intersection  of  two  cylinders  in  an 
angle  joint  may  be  taken  up,  so  touching  on  the  principles 
of  sheet  metal  work  and  the  basis  of  many  operations 
practiced  in  the  arts. 

The  drawing  which  has  now  ceased  to  be  merely  an 
expression  of  simple  form-study,  must  be  carried  on  be¬ 
yond  this  point  as  a  special  subject  and  will  not  be  dealt 
with  further  in  this  paper,  except  to  point  out  that  what¬ 
ever  may  be  the  nature  of  the  work,  representation,  con¬ 
struction  or  decoration,  it  only  attains  its  greatest  value 
as  the  expression  of  an  idea,  and  unless  this  idea  is 
grasped  by  the  pupil, — in  other  words,  is  his  own  idea, — 
the  work  is  merely  imitative  and  destitute  of  educational 
results. 

This  work  of  the  first  grammar  year  may,  of  course, 
be  carried  on  in  the  regular  class  room,  and  this  must  be 
the  character  of  the  greater  part  if  not  of  all  the  work 
attempted  in  the  grammar  grades.  Separate  laboratories, 
to  accomodate  the  large  numbers  of  the  many  grades, 
would  be  practically  impossible  in  our  large  city  schools. 
But  besides  this,  there  is  another  and  still  stronger  reason 
why  it  is  desirable  to  carry  on  this  work  in  the  regular 
class-room  and  under  the  direction  of  the  regular  teacher, 
as  far  as  possible  :  it  is  that  these  exercises,  to  have  their 
greatest  value,  must  be  followed  as  part  of  the  regular 
school  work,  they  must  harmonize  with  all  the  other  exer¬ 
cises  and  react  upon  them.  This  can  be  much  better 
accomplished  by  the  teacher,  whose  influence  over  the 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 


II 


Plate  III. 


This  plate  shows  a  few  built  up  type  forms  with  and  without  their 
patterns.  The  exercises  possible  are  of  course  almost  endless  and- 
applicable  to  very  different  grades  of  pupils. 


12  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

class  has  been  acquired  by  daily  contact,  than  by  separate 
instructors  and  among  different  surroundings.  It  would 
however  undoubtedly  be  best  to  provide  for  the  supervison 
of  such  work  by  competent  experts,  for  some  time  to 
come. 

It  is  in  view  of  these  facts  that  many  experiments  have 
lately  been  made  towards  developing  a  very  simple  kind 
of  wood-work  which  can  be  done  on  boards  placed  on  the 
regular  school  desks  and  which  will  lead  on  from  the 
cardboard  work  of  the  first  year  of  the  grammar  school 
and  prepare  for  the  joinery  work  of  the  later  grades.  In 
these  experiments  the  thought  has  been  that  by  employ¬ 
ing  very  thin  strips  of  wood  which  represent,  practically, 
but  two  dimensions,  simple  combinations  might  be  made 
and  the  first  ideas  of  wood  joints  obtained  without  the 
difficulty  of  securing  a  fit  throughout  a  considerable  thick¬ 
ness.  The  tools  needed  in  this  work  would  be  the  same  as 
in  the  cardboard  work,  with  the  addition  of  a  small  chisel 
or  knife  and  hammer.  The  material  can  be  obtained  read¬ 
ily  in  strips  and  divided  up  for  class  use  by  running  knife 
cuts  across  and  breaking,  so  as  to  leave  an  irregular  edge. 
Marking  off  and  cutting  with  the  chisel  can  then  be  per¬ 
formed  on  the  lower  part  of  the  board,  after  which  the 
pieces  can  be  tacked  in  position  and  tested  with  the 
triangles  on  the  upper  part  of  the  board.  A  certain  por¬ 
tion  of  the  pupil’s  work  can  be  kept  in  this  position  for 
inspection  and  readily  removed  by  lifting  the  pins. 

Beyond  this,  in  the  third  year,  simple  exercises  with 
wood  in  the  solid  may  be  taken  up  and  at  this  stage  the 
Swedish  Sloyd  work  offers  many  suggestions.  It  is  hardly 
possible,  nor  is  it  desirable  to  use  the  exact  exercises 
as  employed  in  Sweden  ; — many  of  the  models  have  no 
significance  in  American  eyes  and  are  not  adapted  to 
American  tools.  The  methods  of  instruction  must  also 
be  modified  considerably;  class  methods  of  instruction 
must  be  adopted,  in  place  of  individual  teaching,  and 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 


13 


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1 


Plate  IV. 

This  cut  gives  some  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  slip  work.  The  pieces 
used  are  one  inch  wide  and  one-sixteenth  or  one-eighth  inch  thick. 
Basswood,  whitewood  and  white  pine  are  suitable  woods,  and  the 
cutting  may  be  performed  by  either  a  light  and  short  paring  chisel  or 
a  special  knife  with  a  straight  slanting  cutting  edge  at  the  end.  The 
small  strip  at  the  bottom  of  the  board  is  used  to  place  the  slip  and 
triangle  against  when  marking  off. 


14  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

the  use  of  drawings  and  exact  measurement  introduced. 
It  is  not  the  copying  of  the  exercises  of  Sloyd  that  will  be 
helpful,  but  the  study  of  some  of  its  underlying  principles, 
viz.:  the  simplicity  of  the  first  operations,  the  few  tooKs 
required,  the  freehand  character  of  the  work  and  the 
economy  of  material — all  of  which  tend  to  meet  the  neces¬ 
sities  of  the  school  room.  These  principles  are  admirably 
carried  out  in  the  earliest  Sloyd  work,  and  it  is  this  work 
which  offers  the  most  fruitful  suggestions  for  the  solution 
of  the  present  problem.  The  work  which  requires  onl}/ 
the  knife,  chisel  and  laying-out  tools,  and  leaves  out  th^ 
planes  and  saws  can  be  carried  on  in  the  regular  class 
room,  by  special  teacher,  perhaps,  with  but  little  cost  for 
equipment.  This  matter  is  dwelt  upon  with  emphasis  be¬ 
cause  it  is  believed  that  any  methods  involving  considera¬ 
ble  cost  of  equipment  and  separate  laboratories,  however 
satisfactory  in  the  results,  do  not  meet,  but  distinctly  avoid 
this  public  school  problem  of  lower  grade  work. 

There  is  one  principle  of  Sloyd  which  is  hardly  consis¬ 
tent  with  the  best  results  in  class  work,  and  that  is  the 
making  of  each  exercise  a  completely  finished  article. 
Those  articles  which  serve  a  useful  end  generally  repre¬ 
sent  a  repetition  of  a  few  operations  and  their  construction 
involves  a  large  amount  of  time  without  corresponding 
return.  If  a  tool  is  to  be  used  for  the  first  time  upon  a 
constructive  piece,  there  is  very  little  chance  of  the  work 
being  satisfactorily  finished  in  the  first  attempt,  and  the 
operation  has  to  be  repeated  many  times  with  much 
consequent  waste  before  a  successful  issue  is  reached. 
It  is  here  that  the  advantages  of  the  Russian  system, 
in  which  each  exercise  represents  a  single  principle  or 
method,  are  strongly  apparent.  By  this  system  the  prac¬ 
tice  necessary  to  the  command  of  the  tool  is  gained  and 
the  knowledge  of  methods  acquired  with  the  least  con¬ 
sumption  of  time  and  material,  before  actual  constructive 
work  is  taken  up  ;  and  it  is,  without  doubt,  this  principle 


\ 

I  *  -  ■' 

I I 

Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  15 

that  must  guide  whatever  is  done  in  the  higher  grammar 
grades  in  the  work  that  approaches  the  actual  processes  of 
the  shop.  But  even  here  too  much  must  not  be  attempted. 

Although  the  principle  is  everywhere  accepted  and 
emphatically  repeated  that  the  school  must  not  attempt 
special  instruction,  must  mot  do  trade  work  yet  almost 
every  attempt  at  introducing  the  work  into  the  schools 
is  greatly  influenced  by  the  conventional  practice  of  the 
'carpenter’s  trade.  His  tools  are  copied,  generally  in  their 
full  number  and  of  their  full  size.  But  this  is  not  nec¬ 
essary.  This  problem  of  school  work  should  be  met  on 
its  own  conditions,  not  on  the  conditions  of  the  carpen¬ 
ter’s  trade.  Certain  of  the  carpenter’s  tools,  the  planes 
and  large  saws,  are  awkward  and  difficult  for  boys  under 
fourteen  to  handle.  Others  are  easily  handled  and  admi¬ 
rably  suited  to  the  needs  of  school  work  and  with  these 
tools  everything  desirable  can  be  accomplished.  With 
the  chisel,  back-saw,  and  laying-out  tools,  the  whole  field 
of  joinery  work  can  be  covered.  The  saving  in  expense  is 
also  a  very  important  item,  as  by  leaving  out  the  planes 
and  large  saws,  the  cost  of  tools  for  each  boy  is  reduced 
one-half. 

As  has  before  been  emphasized  the  nature  of  the  work 
must  be  suited  to  the  age  and  development  of  the  pupils 
dealt  with.  When  the  manual  training  schools  were  first 
inaugurated  the  shop-courses  imitated  those  of  the  engi¬ 
neering  schools,  but  experience  soon  showed  that  the 
different  conditions  needed  different  means,  and  courses  of 
work  have  since  been  developed,  better  fitted  to  their 
special  needs.  And  now  the  work  attempted  in  the  gram¬ 
mar  school  grades  runs  a  similar  risk  in  copying  too 
closely  the  work  of  the  Manual  Training  School.  But 
what  is  fit  for  the  engineering  school  is  not  necessarily  fit 
for  the  manual  training  school,  and  what  is  fit  for  the 
manual  training  school  is  not  necessarily  fit  for  the  gram¬ 
mar  school  [grades.  Little  can  be  done  here  in  actual 


1 6  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

construction,  but  much  may  be  accomplished  in  exercised 
which,  simple  in  themselves,  develop  in  a  high  degree; 
care  and  forethought  and  an  appreciation  of  accuracy. 

The  work  of  the  Manual  Training  High  School,  now  se1) 
fairly  developed,  can  here  be  only  mentioned.  In  the 
system  commonly  adopted  each  year  has  its  special  work. 
In  the  first  year  the  woodwork  develops  exact  judgment 
and  keenness  of  observation  ;  the  blacksmith  work  of  the 
second  year  gives  quickness  and  decision  ;  and  in  the  last 
year  the  metal  work  brings  out  strongly  the  appreciation 
of  exact  accurate  work  and  gives  a  mastery  of  mechanical 
principles.  Here  the  necessity  for  perfect  comprehension 
of  each  thing  dealt  with  holds  as  strongly  as  in  the  lower 
grade  work,  and  acquires  a  wider  meaning.  Woods  must 
be  studied  as  to  their  nature  and  laws  of  growth,  their 
distribution,  preparation  for  market  and  commercial  form. 
The  action  of  tools  must  be  analyzed  and  the  under¬ 
lying  principles  be  clearly  set  forth  ;  the  metals  must  be 
treated  in  the  same  manner,  their  production  explained 
and  their  strength  and  other  properties  studied.  This 
analytical  matter  which  is  only  now  being  properly  devel¬ 
oped,  is  an  integral  part  of  any  course  dealing  with  the 
operations  of  tools  in  wood  and  metal  and  any  scheme 
which  neglects  it  can  achieve  but  partial  and  one-sided 
results. 


) 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 


Plate  V. 

The  fourth  year  grammar  work  is  shown  here, 
joinery  being  fairly  covered  without  the  necessity 
the  planes. 


The  field  of  simple 
of  the  large  saws  or 


Grammar  Primary 


APPENDIX. 


The  suggestions  of  this  paper  relating  to  the  primary 
and  grammar  grades  have  been  summarized  in  the  follow¬ 
ing  scheme  : — 

First  Year — Handling  and  study  of  models,  clay 
modeling,  paper  folding  and  drawing. 

Second  Year — Handling  and  study  of  models,  clay 
modeling,  paper  line  work  and  folding,  drawing. 
Third  Year — Study  of  models,  clay  modeling  of 
natural  forms  and  simple  casts,  paper  design, 
drawing. 

First  Year — Making  of  geometric  solids  in  paper, 
drawing. 

Second  Year — Slip  work  in  wood,  drawing. 

Third  Year — Exercises  based  on  Sloyd,  drawing. 
Fourth  Year — Elements  of  joinery,  drawing. 


Manual  Training  as  Introduced  into  the 
New  York  Public  Schools. 


Under  the  instruction  of  our  Executive  Committee,  the 
special  portion  of  this  day’s  subject  assigned  to  this 
paper  is — “a  discussion  of  the  subject  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  present  curriculum,  pointing  out  how  the  innovation 
may  be  made  without  undue  sacrifice  of  anything  of  value 
that  is  now  taught.  Practical  questions  like  those  of 
time,  ways  and  means,  teaching-force,  etc.,  should  receive 
special  treatment.” 

Permit  me  to  begin  by  indicating  as  clearly  as  I  can 
what  we  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city  understand  as 
included  under  the  unfortunate  title  “  Manual  Training.” 
I  have  no  intention,  however,  of  attempting  the  dangerous 
task  of  endeavoring  to  give  a  condensed  definition.  That 
some  necessity  for  such  a  definition  does  exist,  at  least 
sufficient  to  justify  me  in  thus  consuming  a  portion  of  my 
allotted  time,  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  even  in 
the  prescribed  divisions  for  our  own  Standing  Committee 
work,  we  find  an  apparently  implied  distinction  drawn 
between, — (i)  Kindergarten,  (2)  Form-study  and  Draw¬ 
ing,  (3)  Usual  School  Work,  and  (4)  Manual  Training. 

Now,  first,  we  in  the  public  schools  of  this  city  include, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  under  Manual  Training,  form-study 
and  drawing ;  secondly,  we  agree  perfectly  with  Dr. 
Woodward’s  statement  in  one  of  his  many  admirable 
addresses,  that  “The  manual  education  which  begins  in 
the  Kindergarten  before  the  children  are  able  to  read  a 
word  should  never  cease;”  thirdly,  in  all  our  school 
work,  usual  and  unusual,  we  call  that  method  best  which 
proceeds  upon  the  basis  of  the  study  of  things,  not  words 


20  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

merely.  It  is  object-teaching  applied  to  our  methods  of 
instruction  in  all  those  subjects  of  our  curriculum  to  which 
the  invention  and  ingenuity  of  the  thoroughly  trained  and 
enthusiastic  teacher  can  apply  such  methods, — the  only 
limitation  in  the  application  being  the  extent  of  the 
teacher’s  inventive  faculty.  We  regard  Manual  Training, 
not  as  a  new  subject, — an  innovation  to  displace  other 
older  subjects,  but  as  a  system  of  methods  and  devices 
in  teaching,  which  take  into  account  the  paramount  im¬ 
portance  of  addressing  the  mind  of  the  child  through  the 
avenues  of  all  his  sense-organs,  laying  particular  stress 
upon  the  use,  hitherto  much  neglected,  of  the  sense  of 
touch  and  the  muscular  sense.  We  regard  the  mere  man¬ 
ual  training,  or  training  of  the  hand,  as  purely  incidental, 
though  immensely  valuable. 

Correct  methods  of  teaching  under  this  system  must 
necessarily  lead  to  facility  in  the  use  of  the  hand,  but  the 
mere  facility  is  not  aimed  at  as  our  ultimate  object.  Indeed 
when  facility  comes  to  such  an  extent,  in  any  particular 
exercise,  that  the  hand  of  the  child  begins  to  do  the  work 
so  readily  as  to  indicate  that  the  best  concentration  of  his 
thought  is  not  demanded,  we  consider  that  the  signal  for 
an  immediate  change  of  exercise  to  the  doing  or  making 
or  handling,  involved  in  some  other  tangible  illustration, 
which  will  demand  his  full  thought.  We  aim  constantly 
at  the  production  of  thought-power  in  the  child,  with 
incidental  hand-training,  with  incidental  eye  and  ear  train¬ 
ing;  in  short,  with  incidental  sense-training.  Our  own 
division  of  our  committee-work,  in  this  Association,  would 
seem  to  give  force  to  the  statement  that  shop-work,  or 
working  in  wood  or  metal,  constitutes  the  sum  and  sub¬ 
stance  of  manual  training  even  in  the  minds  of  some  of  its 
best  advocates. 

Just  here  it  is  appropriate  to  say  that  in  the  present 
movement  in  our  New  York  City  Board  of  Education, 
which  has  for  its  object  the  extension  of  the  introduction, 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  21 

within  a  few  months  (probably  in  the  early  part  of  next 
year),  of  manual  training  methods  into  all  the  public  schools 
of  the  city,  both  the  Special  Committee  of  Eight  and  the 
Standing  Committee  on  Course  of  Study  of  that  body,  are 
substantially  agreed  on  the  omission  of  the  workshop,  or 
working  in  wood  as  a  necessary  factor, — leaving  to  future 
development  its  gradual  introduction.  They  will  thus 
avoid,  and  I  think  wisely,  the  misconstruction  that  seems 
inevitable  in  some  minds,  that  trade-teaching,  or  mere 
training  in  the  use  of  trade  tools  is  intended.  They  thus 
avoid,  as  well,  the  heavy  initial  outlay  specially  involved 
in  the  plant  of  workshop  and  kitchen,  and  silence  some¬ 
what  the  usual  outcry  of  those  taxpayers  who  deem  the 
cost  of  an  improvement  a  proper  objection  to  any  progress 
looking  towards  the  future  welfare  of  the  children.  At  the 
same  time,  under  the  plans  proposed,  the  class  teacher 
will  be  forced  to  prepare  to  do  her  work  in  all  the  subjects 
without  the  aid,  while  in  presence  of  her  class,  of  specialists. 

In  a  paper  limited  in  time  to  twenty  or  twenty-five 
minutes  it  would  be  impossible  to  discuss  in  detail  all  the 
changes  in  time,  ways  and  means,  teaching-force,  etc., 
which  have  attended  the  introduction,  since  February  1, 
1888,  of  Manual  Training  into  about  twenty-five  depart¬ 
ments  of  the  school  system  of  this  City.  A  reading  and 
comparison  of  the  Teachers’  Manual  of  1884,  which  now 
governs  the  work  in  the  great  majority  of  our  schools,  and 
the  Manual-Training  Course  of  Study  of  1888,  which  was 
compiled  for  the  special  use  of  the  schools  above  alluded 
to,  must  be  advised  to  those  who  desire  full  and  accurate 
information.  In  this  paper  only  a  glance  can  be  given 
towards  some  illustrations  of  the  changes  made  and  the 
ways  and  means  adopted. 

In  the  Primary  departments  (age  of  pupil  from  five  to 
about  9 y2  years)  : — 

Development  of  conceptions  of  form  through  seeing 
objects,  handling  objects,  clay-modeling,  stick-laying,  etc. 


22  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

Representation  of  conceptions  of  objects  by  clay-modeling, 
paper  folding,  paper  cutting  and  drawing. 

Important  memorandum  : — “The  child  is  not  to  be  told 
what  to  see.  He  is  told  what  to  do  with  an  object  as  a 
means  of  inducing  him  to  discover  some  form  or  quality  of 
it  which  ought  to  receive  his  careful  attention ;  but  he 
should  never  be  told  something  to  be  memorized  and 
recited  about  the  object.”  With  this  general  statement 
the  detail  follows,  including  : — 

Study  of  the  sphere,  cube,  cylinder,  square  prism,  hemi¬ 
sphere,  triangular  prism,  cone  and  vase-forms,  and  the 
surfaces,  angles,  lines,  etc.,  involved.  Handling  the  solids 
studied,  modeling  their  forms  and  derived  forms  in  clay, 
construction  in  paper,  etc.,  etc.,  used  in  all  this. 

The  outline  of  this  primary  work  can  be  found  in  greater 
detail  from  page  15  to  page  43  of  the  Manual  of  1888, 
referred  to  above.  The  time  allotted,  in  so  far  as  a  possi¬ 
ble  dissection  as  to  time  can  be  made  (and  it  is  only 
made  here  to  meet  the  minds  of  those  who  contemplate 
“manual-training  subjects”  as  separate  and  apart  from 
“other”  subjects  in  the  curriculum),  will  be  found  to  be 
about  300  minutes  per  week  in  each  of  the  primary  grades. 

In  the  third  primary  grade  (age  of  pupil  from  about  7 
to  8  years)  female  pupils  begin  sewing,  which  is  thence 
carried  through  all  the  remaining  primary  grades  into  and 
through  the  five  lower  grades  (age  of  pupil  from  about 
9*4  to  12*4  years)  of  the  Female  Grammar  Departments, 
stopping  where  cooking  begins. 

Geography  in.  the  primary  grades  is  begun  in  the  highest 
grade  (age  of  pupil  from  about  8  to  9*4  years);  modeling 
in  clay  or  sand  the  natural  forms  of  land  (islands,  etc.), 
with  attendant  drawing  is  constantly  used  as  a  means  of 
teaching.  In  the  opinion  of  the  writer  of  this  paper  the 
study  of  the  subject  could  be  begun,  granting  proper 
methods  of  presentation,  with  the  pupil’s  first  entrance 
into  school  (age  5  years). 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  23 

In  all  the  grammar  grades  (age  of  pupil  from  about 
93^  to  14+years)  mechanical  drawing  is  taught  to  both 
boys  and  girls.  This  includes  a  knowledge  of  the  use  of 
the  ruler,  triangles,  square,  compasses,  scale,  protractor, 
india-ink  pens,  etc. 

Geometry  in  the  six  lower  grammar  grades  (age  of 
pupil  from  about  9^  to  \2x/2  years)  is  taught  by  means  of 
graphic  solutions,  with  attendant  proofs  by  superposition, 
to  both  boys  and  girls.  In  the  highest  grade  plane  geom¬ 
etry,  taught  by  means  of  the  logical  method,  supplements 
the  former  method.  Throughout  all  the  work  the  con¬ 
struction  of  all  the  regular  solids  in  paper  from  single 
sheets,  with  drawings  of  methods  of  construction  in  “the 
flat,”  is  relied  upon  as  our  (to  the  pupil  as  well  as  the 
teacher)  most  delightful  stimulant  to  independent  thought. 
All  the  prisms,  all  the  pryamids  and  their  frusta,  prisms 
and  pyramids,  in  the  higher  grades,  being  readily  cut 
by  the  pupils  at  varying  angles  with  the  line  of  altitude, 
are  made  from  single  sheets  of  paper.  No  one  who  has 
not  seen  the  every-day  work  can  understand  the  wonder¬ 
ful  invention  evidenced  by  even  the  youngest  pupils  in 
this  work  and  the  intense  delight  they  show  in  doing 
it.  Woven  throughout  all  the  geometrical  work  is  the 
practice  of  what  has  been  aptly  termed  “  inventional 
geometry.” 

Workshop  practice  is  given  in  all  of  the  five  higher 
grammar  grades  for  boys  (age  of  pupil  from  about  to 
14+years),  involving  preparatory  working-sketches  and 
working-drawings  to  scale. 

Cooking,  or,  rather,  the  physiology,  hygiene,  philosophy 
and  chemistry  underlying  cookery,  with  their  practical 
illustrations,  is  taught  to  the  girls  of  the  third  and  second 
grammar  grades.  Thus  the  sewing  and  cooking,  taken 
together,  balance,  so  to  speak,  the  workshop  practice  of 
the  five  grammar  grades  for  boys. 

In  all  the  grammar  grades  modeling  and  map-drawing 


24 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 


are  continued  as  methods  in  geography  and  historical 
geography ;  and  modeling  as  a  means  of  form-study,  for 
its  help  towards  drawing  and  art-study,  is  constantly 
practiced. 

Now,  as  to  time  : — 

The  minima  in  grammar  grades  are  as  follows  : — 

Language  Lessons,  4 y2  hours  per  week; 

Arithmetic,  1st  to  5th  grades,  2^4  hours  ; 

Arithmetic,  6th  to  8th  grades,  3  hours  ; 

Penmanship  (or  its  application),  2  hours  ; 

Geography,  3rd  to  5th  grades,  1  hour  ; 

Geography,  6th  to  8th  grades,  1 y2  hours  ; 

Shopwork,  1st  to  5th  grades  (boys),  2  hours  ; 

Sewing,  4th  to  8th  grades  (girls),  1  hour  ; 

Cooking,  3rd  to  2nd  grades  (girls),  1  hour. 

The  remaining  time  to  be  arranged  at  the  discretion  of 
the  Principal.  A  slight  examination  of  the  margin  allowed 
will  show  the  great  scope  permitted  as  a  relief  from  a 
machine  Schedule. 

I  must  again  refer  to  the  Manual  of  1884.  Some  of  the 
changes,  besides  those  already  indicated,  made  to  meet  the 
new  work  are  : — 

In  the  primary  grades  the  amount  of  geography,  prin¬ 
cipally  political,  previously  taught  has  been  materially 
reduced,  and  the  text-book,  for  home-lesson  purposes, 
eliminated. 

In  arithmetic,  long  division  was  cut  out  and  sent  to  the 
grammar  course.  In  the  grammar  grades  in  geography 
text-books  (for  memorizing  home-lessons)  were  excluded 
from  the  lower  grades  (8th,  7th  and  6th).  History  (5th 
to  2nd  grades)  is  now  taught  by  intelligently  reading  the 
subject  in  class,  in  constant  connection  with  its  incidental 
geography ;  the  time  for  this  “supplementary  reading” 
being  that  formerly  given  to  reading  from  a  special  “class 
reader.”  In  the  same  way  supplementary  reading  in  geog¬ 
raphy  and  science  is  given  where  set  class  readers  were 
formerly  used. 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  25 

A  word  remains  to  be  said  as  to  the  way  of  managing 
I  the  five  workshop-grades,  so  as  to  give  each  boy  two 
hours  per  week  without  trenching  too  much  upon  regular 
I  class  work  in  other  directions.  Here  the  size  of  the  room 
,  ■  selected  and  the  resulting  number  of  work-benches  came 
j^into  play  as  important  factors.  My  workshop,  for  in¬ 
stance,  permits  only  13  boys  to  receive  instruction  at  one 
t ;  and  the  same  time.  In  schools  selected  for  manual  train¬ 
ing  since  February  1st,  1888,  having  more  favorable  con¬ 
ditions,  I  understand  that  the  facilities  are  such  as  to 
accommodate  a  much  greater  number.  It  is  evident  that, 
in  my  school,  all  the  work  in  these  five  grades,  other 
than  that  done  in  the  workshop,  had  to  be  so  arranged 
as  to  suit  multiples  of  13; — a  class  of  39  pupils  giving, 
for  instance,  three  workshop-divisions,  one  of  52  pupils 
giving  four  workshop-divisions,  etc.,  etc.  This  at  first 
view,  to  those  in  the  rut  of  the  old  methods  of  class- 
instruction  for  class-results,  seemed  to  be  a  problem  in¬ 
capable  of  solution.  What  was  the  class  teacher  to  do 
with  those  pupils  remaining  in  her  classroom  in  the  ab¬ 
sence  of  the  workshop-division?  Well,  I  can  only  say 
that  we  have  found  this  apparent  difficulty  a  blessing 
to  the  individual  pupil.  It  has  forced  the  class  teacher 
to  so  study  the  individual  necessities  of  her  pupils  as  to 
best  utilize  their  time  as  individuals.  While  the  work¬ 
shop-division  is  away,  the  weaknesses  of  the  other  pupils 
in  varying  directions  are  attended  to.  As  a  rule  no  uni¬ 
form  class-work  is  attempted  during  these  separations. 
“Picking  up  loose  threads”  with  individuals,  as  they  may 
need  special  help,  is  what  the  teacher  aims  at.  Some 
may  be  modeling,  either  for  its  application  to  geogra¬ 
phy  or  to  form-study  and  drawing ;  others,  in  making 
preparatory  sketches  or  working-drawings  for  their  own 
workshop  exercises  ;  others,  in  finishing  satisfactorily  pre¬ 
viously  incomplete,  or  imperfectly  accomplished,  work  in 
any  direction  that  the  teacher  deems  advisable.  While 


2 6  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

this  condition  of  affairs  demands  from  the  teacher  a  deep¬ 
er  study  of  her  pupils  as  individuals,  and  better  and 
more  rapid  judgment, — what  may  by  some  teachers  be 
called  “harder  work,” — yet  we  have  found  that  these  very 
features  make  what  at  first  seemed  a  disagreeable  neces¬ 
sity  a  boon  to  the  children.  Let  me  here  say  in  justice 
to  my  own  faithful  teachers,  that  they,  too?  fully  appreciate 
the  return  they  obtain  from  willing  pupils,  and  are  fully 
repaid  by  the  evidently  real  progress  made  in  ability  to 
think. 

A  few  words  need  to  be  said  as  to  extra  working-force 
in  the  corps  of  teachers.  My  judgment  is  that,  with  the 
exception  of  the  present  apparent  necessity  for  a  specialist 
in  the  “  Workshop  ”  and  “  Kitchen,”  there  is  no  necessity, 
in  so  far  as  the  introduction  of  manual  training  anywhere 
in  the  system  is  concerned,  for  special  teachers  : — and 
with  proper  training  in  the  future  on  the  part  of  every 
class  teacher,  even  these  specialists  may,  in  time,  become 
unnecessary. 

Before  leaving  this  portion  of  my  subject  I  deem  it  my 
duty  to  place  upon  record,  in  so  far  as  I  can  with  the 
opportunity  now  afforded  me,  my  appreciation  of  the 
labors,  not  as  yet  fully  and  generally  recognized,  of  one 
to  whom  more  than  to  any  one  else  belongs  the  credit 
of  the  new  departure  in  the  public  schools  of  this  City. 
During  the  year  1887,  Mr.  Thomas  F.  Harrison,  then 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  Schools,  was  assigned  during 
four  months,  by  action  of  the  Board  of  Education,  to  the 
task  of  examining  in  many  cities  the  development  of  this 
whole  subject  ;  and  of  formulating,  after  consultation  with 
the  full  Board  of  Superintendents,  headed  by  City  Super¬ 
intendent  Jasper,  a  scheme  for  its  wise  introduction,  with¬ 
out  damaging  shock  to  what  was  already  good  in  our  vast 
system,  into  our  school  work  in  this  City.  The  Manual 
Training  Course  of  Study  of  1888,  to  which  I  have  alluded, 
was  the  result, — and  upon  it  has  been  built  all  that  I  have 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  27 

described.  After  nearly  a  half-century  of  faithful  work  in 
;his  City,  Mr.  Harrison,  on  leaving  the  profession  by  his 
.esignation  of  the  position  he  had  so  long  filled  with  honor 
1  to  himself  and  profit  to  every  teacher  with  whom  he  came 
officially  in  contact,  could  have  left  no  more  enduring 
monument  of  his  foresight  and  genius  than  this  work  of  in¬ 
spiration.  To  him,  more  than  to  any  other  single  individ¬ 
ual,  is  to  be  attributed  the  fact  that  the  new  education  has 
been  grafted  upon  the  public  school  work  accomplished  in 
this  City  with  pupils  ranging  from  five  to  fourteen  years  of 
age.  And  this  is  true  at  present,  let  it  be  remembered, 
only  of  the  schools  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

I  should  feel  that  I  had  not  done  justice  to  the  subject 
in  hand  did  I  not,  before  closing  this  paper,  devote  some 
words  to  what  I  deem  to  be  the  solution  of  the  problem  of 
the  proper  introduction  of  Manual  Training  into  all  the 
Public  Schools  of  this  City.  The  efforts  of  all  interested 
in  bestowing  upon  the  children  of  this  City  the  great 
boon  of  the  introduction  of  the  new  education  should 
be  bent  persistently  towards  inducing  the  establishment, 
by  the  Board  of  Education,  of  a  Saturday  Normal  School. 
If  within  a  few  months,  as  now  seems  most  likely,  these 
methods  are  to  be  introduced  into  all  the  schools,  it  is 
evident  that  over  3000  teachers  will  be,  almost  imme¬ 
diately,  brought  face  to  face  with  the  necessity  of  ob¬ 
taining,  in  some  way,  a  knowledge  of  how  to  properly 
present  them  to  children.  These  teachers,  most  of  whom 
have  either  no  conception  or  a  false  conception  of  what 
Manual  Training  means,  must  first  be  instructed  them¬ 
selves,  or  the  inevitable  result  will  be  a  miserable  fail¬ 
ure.  The  pressing  and  immediate  necessity  is  the  Sat¬ 
urday  Normal  School.  To  this  school  should  be  invited 
to  serve  as  Professors  the  best  specialists  in  the  several 
directions  involved,  whether  they  be  procurable  in  our 
own  midst  or  from  elsewhere.  The  only  tests  in  the 
i  selection  of  these  specialists  should  be  their  pre-eminent 


28  Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools. 

ability,  in  the  light  of  the  new  departure,  first,  to  clearly 
present  the  pedagogic  principles  underlying  the  teaching 
of  their  respective  specialties  ;  secondly,  to  illustrate  cor¬ 
rect  methods  of  presentation  to  the  children,  in  the  day- 
by-day  sequence  of  the  prescribed  work  in  the  several 
grades  ;  and,  thirdly,  the  further  ability  to  present  to  the 
teachers  correct  devices  tested  by  experience  or  comform- 
able  to  methods  based  on  approved  pedagogic  principles. 
Let  such  experts  be  welcomed,  coming  from  no  matter 
where,  let  them  strive  to  vividly  impress  their  spirit  upon 
our  teachers,  and  thus  indirectly  upon  the  future  welfare  of 
the  children  ;  and  finally,  let  the  only  test  of  their  profes¬ 
sorial  continuance  in  such  an  institution  be  the  survival  of 
the  fittest.  Any  principal  of  a  Manual  Training  School  who 
has,  during  the  past  year,  been  endeavoring  to  “spread 
the  light”  among  hundreds  of  inquiring  visitors,  will  bear 
me  out  in  stating  that  an  almost  dense  ignorance  of  the 
subject  characterizes  even  the  professional  teachers  among 
these  visitors,  and  that  very  few  could  digest  what  they 
saw  and  heard.  When  teachers  will,  on  entering,  begin 
by  informing  you  “that  they  have  only  fifteen  minutes  to 
afford  to  the  examination  of  the  subject,  and  would  like  to 
see  your  Manual  Training  as  quickly  as  possible,”  it  is 
easy  to  understand  how  ineffectual  have  been  the  efforts  of 
those  who  have  written  volumes  for  the  instruction  of  pro¬ 
fessional  brothers  and  sisters.  Mr.  H.  H.  Boyesen,  in  a 
recent  article  upon  a  totally  different  subject  written  for 
the  Forum ,  tells  a  story  of  his  experience  in  this  country, 
which  is  so  apropos  that  I  may  be  pardoned  for  reproduc¬ 
ing  it  here.  He  writes  that,  once  having  had  the  honor  of 
waltzing  with  “an  aspiring  young  lady,”  and  “  while  they 
were  whirling  in  the  dizzy  mazes,”  she  said  to  him, 
“  Now,  won’t  you  be  kind  enough  to  give  me  just  in  a  few 
words  the  gist  of  Spinoza’s  ‘Ethics?’”  One  would  almost 
imagine  that  the  anxious,  but  hurried,  inquirer  into  the 
subject  of  Manual  Training  expected  to  see  something 


Manual  Training  in  the  Public  Schools.  29 

like  a  “  dime  museum  freak  ”  trotted  out  from  its  cage  on 
!  call.  With  such,  patience  ceases  to  be  a  virtue. 

In  proposing  the  establishment  of  a  Saturday  Normal 
1  School  I  am  voicing  the  sentiments  and  desires  of  the 
great  majority  of  the  teachers  in  this  City,  who  are  only  too 
anxious  to  do  intelligently  and  well*  all  that  may  be 
demanded  of  them,  but  who  need  light  upon  this  subject. 
And,  that  I  may  not  be  misunderstood,  let  me  say  that 
the  establishment  of  a  permanent  Normal  School,  such  as 
I  advocate,  does  not,  in  the  slightest  way,  involve  an 
arraignment  of  any  college  or  school  devoted  to  the 
preparation  of  persons  desirous  of  entering  upon  the  pro¬ 
fession  of  teaching.  I  am  advocating  the  continuous 
professional  training  of  those  now  actually  teaching  ; — in 
my  opinion,  a  necessary  supplement  to  the  very  valuable 
previous  work,  mainly  theoretical,  done  in  such  colleges. 
I  am  advocating  a  Post-Graduate  Normal  School  for  the 
benefit  of  those  who  feel  the  necessity,  while  handling 
classes  and  while,  if  they  be  faithful,  studying  closely  the 
workings  of  the  child-mind,  of  coming  for  consultation, 
advice  and  inspiration,  at  least  once  a  week,  to  experts  in 
the  many  directions  covered  by  our  curriculum. 

Theoretical  training  before  entering  the  profession,  and 
the  further,  deeper  and  more  difficult  and  serious  study, 
after  having  become  responsible  for  the  future  well-being 
of  human  lives  and  souls,  are  two  totally  distinct  things. 
We  need  both  in  the  City  of  New  York,  that  it  may 
keep  its  place  in  the  van  of  progressive  teaching.  I 
believe  we  have  in  the  public  schools  of  this  City, — no 
matter  what  may  be  flippantly  said  of  exceptions  to  the 
rule, — a  body  of  the  most  faithful,  intelligent  and  pains¬ 
taking  teachers  to  be  found  anywhere  on  this  continent. 
Give  them  the  opportunity  I  advocate,  and  they  will  rise 
to  the  demands  of  the  new  education  so  gladly  and  so 
enthusiastically  as  to  satisfy  the  highest  known  standards 
of  professional  excellence. 


Manual  Training  in  Schools. 

J^XERCISES  IN  WOOD-WORKING. 

With  a  short  treatise  on  wood.  Written  for  Manual 
Training  classes  in  schools  and  colleges.  By  Ivin  Sickels, 
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J^UROPEAN  SCHOOLS; 

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T£DUCATION  IN  ITS  RELATION  TO  MANUAL 
INDUSTRY.  By  Arthur  MacArthur,  LL.D. 

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3 


The  Prang  Course  of  Instruction 
in  Form  and  Drawing. 

This  course  is  the  outgrowth  of  fifteen  years’  experience 
devoted  to  the  development  of  this  single  Subject  in  public 
education,  under  the  widest  and  most  varied  conditions. 

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The  aim  or  object  of  the  instruction  is  different. 

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different  Educational  plan. 

The  results  in  Schools  are  widely  and  radically  different. 

It  is  the  only  Course  based  on  the  Study  of  Models  and 
Objects  by  each  pupil.  ^ 

The  Course  prepares  directly  for  MANUAL  TRAINING. 
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